I go willingly into his arms
by Ladystarlet09
Summary: My first 1-shot on the Darkangel trilogy. Aeriel had returned to the castle where Irrylath, the darkangel vampyer has been awaiting for her eventual return after she fled into the desert, seeking the starhoove of the Avarclon. Little did she know that he had been doing more then merely waiting for her. Can she overcome the darkness of his soul to find the good within him still? M


**_~I do not owe any of the Darkangel trilogy. This is just my take on what could have happened differently upon Aeriel's return back to the castle after the long journey into the dessert and successfully obtaining the starhoof of the Avarclon horse. Please review and let me know of what you think about this one-shot~ Ladystarlet09_**

Aeriel's lips were chapped, her once fair skin now tanned by the several months or so of wandering the dessert amide foe and friends, seeking the starhoof of the Avarclon that is said that could easily destroy the vampyer, Irrylath with a single sip of its powerful nectar. The all too familiar broken down castle loomed gloomily ahead. She could already heard the harsh shrieks of the gargoyles who sighted her from the towers. They sounded, despite how ugly it may be to mortal ears, very eager and happy upon sensing her unexpected return back to her prison.

The girl, no, now blossoming young woman, ran a hand through her dark red locks, her green orbs ever alert for the looming presence of Irrylath. He didn't appear at all in the sky. Surely even though he took one heck of beating from the Avarclon, surely at least he would fly out to see who dared trespass upon his territory. Aeriel shivered at the memory of how fiercely he had battled against the Avarclon, his piercing enraged screech filling her very ears and memory as she had fought to not fall upon the dessert sands as she was trapped between them.

Ice cold vs. molten hot.

And even as she remembered how fierce the battle grew between the enemies, no once had Irrylath let go of her from within his cold embrace until forced to when his face got slashed.

"Get a hold of yourself, girl." Aeriel muttered to herself while continuing to make her slow decent into the pathways that would eventually lead her to the castle. "I'm back here for only one reason and its to destroy him forever before he takes his final bride to complete the 14. I have to do this not only for whoever he brings as his final victim , but for the wives and most importantly, for Eoduin."

Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, Aeriel continued onward until stopping just at the start of the narrow stone staircase that led upwards towards the main entrance area. Small goosebumps jumped out on her flesh as her eyes spied from afar the slow approaching dark winged figure in the sky. One of his wings was askew with feathers missing from his left wing and it flapped awkwardly as he continued to fly towards her. It was obvious that he had already seen her from wherever he came back from by the coldness within his deep grey eyes, but his now scarred face showed no other emotion.

Aeriel was very surprised, given what time of the year it was, that he had come back with no bride in tow. Her hand slipped silently into her cloak to the secret compartment that held the starhoof within. This was her only weapon against this creature and yet for some odd reason, she couldn't' understand why her heart hammered wildly within her chest while she inhaled and exhaled swiftly. She stopped just under the open main entrance and awaited for Irrylath with straight spine. The darkangel glided ever so gracefully to a stop several feet away before tucking his wings behind him.

"I see that you have finally decided to come back." He spoke softly while eyeing her from head to toe like a hawk eyed its intended prey. "What made you want to come back if you know full well what your punishment is going to be, girl?"

At first, her voice couldn't find itself. Irrylath smirked, his injured face pulling itself into a hideous grimace that had her cringing inside. "You understand that coming back has only sealed your fate that I must now kill you, Aeriel." He sighed almost regretful-like. Her eyes widened at the ever first use of her real name. "I suppose if I must," He began while slowly advancing towards her with an outstretched hand until he was but a mere few inches between them and she had her back up against the stone wall. "I'd rather make it very painful so that you know how much you had greatly angered me by daring yourself to running into the dessert that could have just easily killed you in a mere few days and nights."

"I came back because I know that you needed me to help prepare the final bride for your ritual." Aeriel managed to say despite her shaky legs. "But I see that you have come back empty handed." She dared herself to add, gesturing towards his empty arms. "Why is that?"

The vampyer smirked, closing the gap between them so swiftly that she didn't have a second to inhale before finding herself trapped between his body and the wall behind her. Irrylath placed both of his hands on either side of her face, fully trapping her from any possible escape while he peered down at her with cold eyes.

"Look up at me, girl." He commanded her sharply. Aeriel slowly raised her green orbs until she found herself staring into his. Something didn't seem right to her at this moment. Usually, he would be snapping and ordering her around to do something. But something felt very different that was rolling off of her captor's figure like great waves of water. She didn't dare look away as she dimly felt one of his hands very slowly caress her long red tresses between his slender fingers. Her chest was heavy with mixture of dread and curiousness of why he was acting so strangely at the moment. The darkangel's fingers de-tangled themselves from her hair and made its way up towards her slender neck where his fingers very gently encircled themselves around it.

Aeriel swallowed hard. So this was how her life was going to end before she could even do something to save the wraiths and prevent him from becoming a full vampyer. He was going to kill her without any swift mercy before his castle's doors.

"Its strange how a mere three months can change your body from that of a girl and into a full grown woman." Irryalth murmured while trailing his hand down her neck, the delicate groove of her collarbone, down and over the soft swells of her breast to rest directly over the soft curves of her inner hip. "You have grown very beautifully under the stars and moon of the desert. So much so that I dare say that I cannot seem to find a bride that can outshine your own inner beauty that I have grown accustomed to seeing amide my own domain."

 _Did he just really say those words or is my own mind playing tricks upon me after the long ordeal of my journey?_ She thought to herself. "I suppose I should be grateful of such kind words coming from you, master." She replied out loud. "But that doesn't change the fact that you wish to kill me now as a fitting punishment for my actions of running away from you."

The darkangle laughed suddenly, throwing back his white head before glancing back down at her with a dark scowl. "Kind words? How does one like me be so kind towards you, Aeriel? No, I was merely commenting on the weather tonight and here you think that I am being unjustified with my observance of your own personal transformation."

"I didn't meant to offend you, master. I only wished to say that it was unexpected for you to say such things to a low servant girl like myself. " She quickly tried to appease him, only to find herself once more cringing upon the stone wall with him pressed so closely against her body. Ice coldness immediately settled into her body, pushing away all warmth from within herself as she suddenly found his hand pushing her face upward towards him. She tried to push away, to put some space between them, but he had her firmly trapped. For a moment, Aeriel thought that perhaps he was going to grant her a swift death by breaking her neck as she felt his other hand firmly pressed against the back of it and the other keeping her chin up.

Irrylath stared down at her for a very long time. "I could easily kill you right now for what you just said alone, but I shall not because I have found that you amuse me in more ways then one."

"Amuse you, master?"

A slowly smile crept across his face, the slashes across his left side of his perfect face slowly gaping open until she could see the sinews beneath them. She tried to not stare in revolt but keep her gaze on his cold eyes. "Yes, amuse." He agreed. "So much so that I have decided to make you my final bride."

All the air suddenly went out of her body and her vision began to darken as the last part of his words hit her like no other. She found herself suddenly collapsing ungracefully to the ground as he took a step back from her.

No, that wasn't right. She wasn't beautiful enough to be considered worthy in his eyes of becoming his final bride to complete his final transformation. And even if he did, what and how was she going to carry out her plan against him? Aeriel closed her eyes as his cold laughter slowly reached her dazed mind.

"Surprised, I see." He said with a snort. "You should be greatly honored that I chose you among all the other mortal women I saw tonight to be my bride and wife. I have been searching for many nights, but non seem to compare to what you are naturally. Those deep green eyes, long, wavy red hair, perfect shaped face and lips, and though the dessert sun has darken your fair skin, I see with my own eyes that it suits you well." He paused to allow his words to sink into her brain. "Even your whole body that used to be thin and scrawny, is now full of shape and curves that would even drive a mortal man insane."

Aeriel's breath hitched as she found herself being pulled into a standing position by one arm and her cloak cast to one side by him. She saw something akin to male satisfaction when he ripped open the front of her dessert dress until her breasts spilled out. To her dismay and shame, her own body flushed under his heated gaze as the cold air, combined with his own ice cold touch, caressed her exposed chest, her nipples hardening to perked tips before his keen gaze.

"Please, master." She begged as hot tears began to prick her eyes. "I'll accept the honor of becoming your willingly bride and wife just as long as you promise to not hurt me. You have already hurt me by humiliating me like this. At least let me live out my final hours in peace until I take my wedding vows."

"I will only if you perhaps are willing to listen to me." He suddenly replied in a very quiet voice, but not releasing her. He reached down and cradled one of her heavy breasts in the palm of his hand, his finger absently playing with a hardened nipple while she tried to not cry out at the unfamiliar sensation of pleasure that hit deep down within her body.

Why was he doing this to her?

She tried in vain to keep her breathing under control, but the increase of the stimulation of his fingers and gentle kneading of her breasts prevented her from doing so while he stared down at her with a knowing smirk. "Even your own body betrays what it seeks even from the very likes of me. I may be a vampyer, but I am still very much a male with personal needs of the body like you are a woman with those same exact desires as I, Aeriel." The darkangel leaned his head forward, his mouth taking in the nipple he had been playing with between his fingers and suckling it firmly. Aeriel felt her knees buckle as the sheer white hot sensations that was now taking over her body. This wasn't right! He was taking full advantage of her weakness of both the mind and body, manipulating her until she fell to his unyielding iron will of total dominance and control.

"Irrylath...please, I can't take this anymore...No more...not now when I haven't not yet even prepared myself for our wedding night..." Aeriel begged breathlessly as another wave of sensation now hit her between the legs. Her womb was on fire as well as other parts of her body while he held her in place against the wall with both hands upon her hips, firmly suckling both nipples one at a time while she let out soft moans of pleasure.

Irrylath sensing how she was trying to remain defiant towards him by begging him to stop pleasuring her body, ceased momentarily to glance down at her flushed face. Something within him seemed to be oddly moved by her words alone, as well as the desperate, yet determined look within her green eyes. It was a pity that he had decided after all this time to chose her as his final bride and to complete his transformation as a full fledged vampyer, however something in the back of his mind didn't want to go through with it at the cost of taking her very soul and reducing her to nothing more then a mere walking shadow of herself like his other wives.

And there was still that one subject that he wanted to talk to her about right now, however her own unexpected blooming beauty was captivating him like the white witch's powerful spell.

Not understanding why he did it, but just doing it anyways, he silenced her words by pulling her towards him and covering her mouth with his own. Not bothering to see if she would perhaps fight him, Irrylath ruthlessly plunged his tongue into her mouth and sought total dominance while her hands wildly tried to find a perch upon his body, only to weakly beat against his chest until they remain splayed over his unbeating heart, no longer moving. He pulled back to allow her to catch her breath for a moment before recapturing her lips, this time, nipping at her bottom lip with his teeth before pushing with his tongue until Aeriel had no other choice but to let him have his way.

At first, the young woman didn't respond to his kissing, but after a few minutes had passed and he made no move of stopping while he held one arm around her waist, keeping her pressed tightly against him and his now fully thickened cock beneath his toga, and the other hand roaming over her exposed breasts and stomach before dipping down towards her lower region, he finally felt her slowly, but surely respond back with the soft instinctive rising of her hips and the low moans of pleasure that came from her pretty throat while his skilled fingers sought the wetness between her legs.

The darkangel should had been just merely amused on how easy it was to seduce another mortal such as her, however this young woman wasn't just a mere mortal in his eyes. No, after slowly healing his injuries from the battle against the Avarclon and aimlessly wandering the hills near the villages for two months, seeking a fresh victim to serve his 13 wives and become his final bride, Irrylath found himself often dreaming and thinking about Aeriel amide the still silence of his own castle. Before her, he could take anyone so easily and complete the ritual needed for his full transformation as a full vampyer and joining his six, fully turned brothers amid the circle of taking over the world. However, after suffering many dreamless days and nights, Irrylath's thoughts turn into a deep, unquenchable longing of seeing her alive and well amide his gloomy estate.

And now that he finally had her back under his control, he couldn't help but wish that perhaps there was a way to avoid of taking her soul. He wanted to hear Aeriel continue to talk about her vivid stories, to hear her rare laughter fill these silent castle walls and see how she went about her daily life while serving him and his wives.

But now as he showed her how a woman should be pleased while under the spell of a man's ultimate power of seduction and sex, Irrylath wondered what the name was to this strange emotion he was feeling so strongly, deep, deep down. He suddenly ceased his ministrations and withdrew his hand, earning a disappointed groan from Aeriel as he pulled his face from hers. Her perfect rosy lips were now a darken hue, swollen from the harsh kissing and nipping from his teeth, cheeks flushed as well as the rest of her perfectly tanned body, the soft whiff of her body's womanly musky scent hitting his sensitive nose and arousing him only further. Licking the fingers that was now covered with her body's sweet nectar, he absently pulled her cloak back around her with his free hand.

"I suggest that you go and properly prepare yourself for our wedding night, my soon-to-be bride and wife." He told her in his usual cold voice. "Take as long as you need to until midnight. I'll be waiting for you with in my private chamber."

Aeriel was still trying to recover mentally, physically and emotionally from what had just transpired between them. Smoothing some hair that flowed astray with a trembling hand, she could only weakly node and walk away very slowly under his sharp gaze at her back. Her body was still hot from the many unexpected sensations that had shot through it like lightning hitting the earth and leaving hot trail marks within its wake. Aeriel touched a finger to her swollen lips, still feeling the phantom sensation of his cold lips upon her own and the horror that she had actually enjoyed what he had done to her, even though her virginity was still intact. Her cheeks flushed hotly at the memory of feeling the hard press of his arousal against her belly.

So Irrylath did greatly desire her enough to not only take her as his final bride, but to have enough interest that he wanted her in a more sexual way as well. Shaking her head vigorously, she told herself firmly in her mind why she had come back to this forsaken place. There were 13 mistresses that needed to be save and allowing him to have total dominance over her so that she ended up being just like them at the end of the night, didn't help much. No, Aeriel had to be strong for her own self and take courage if she was going to kill him with the help of Talb's help on making the powerful brew that could forever destroy him.

Even as she made that thought, something deep down within her bosom began to hurt. She gasped sharply, taking several deep breaths to calm herself while pausing halfway in the lower levels of the castle where the dungeons were located and her mistresses were being kept. Laying a hand over her wildly beating heart, Aeriel told herself to keep moving if she wanted to go through with her main plan. Putting one foot in front of the other, she continued her way through the damp, dim corridors until she reached the dungeon room that held the wraiths. As expected, they all gave frighten shrieks upon hearing the turning of the key within the lock, but was shushed when she told them it was only her alone.

"Don't fear, its I, Aeriel." She said as she took several steps within the dark room. She sniffed the dank air. "My goodness, this place sure has become a lot more stale since I was last here."She tried to half joke while taking a seat at the empty loom. The wraiths instantly converged upon her, touching her face, hair and arms as if to really reassure themselves that Aeriel was real not a figment of their imagination. "All is alright now that I'm back."

"Why did you come back?" They asked in amazement and slight fear. "Surely the vampyer will kill you for running away all those months ago."

Aeriel shivered inwardly but kept her face straight while they gazed upon her with their empty eyes. "He cannot kill me now for apparently upon my return tonight, I am to become his final bride and wife."

"What!?" They all cried in unison. "No! He can't! You are much too young to be married and plus, being his final wife will only seal your death. No, you must run away again while you still can. Go while he is resting from his night's hunt."

"But how can I when he has already seen me upon my return? And besides, I have already formed a plan to destroy him and save your souls."

One of them approached her and held her face between her bony hands. Looking deeply into her eyes, the wraith shook her head. "You deserve so much more then this, Aeriel. Don't throw your life away at the expense of us. Don't you want to have a good husband, children and a long, prosperous life until old age? Your death would be meaningless if you allow him to complete his transformation into a full vampyer."

The young woman lowered her eyes towards the floor. "As long as I am a slave, no one would want me to be their wife or mother to their children. I am a nobody with no title, no lands, nothing. I don't have any other choice but to accept his proposal and go through with my plan of ending his life once and for all."

Total silence reined for several minutes before the wraith before Aeriel spoke quietly once more. "But it sounds like you are being very hesitant upon the thought of you killing him." Her hands fell from the young woman's face to her sides. Taking a step back, she blended back with the others. "Maybe its wrong for me to say this, but while you were gone these past few months, he would often come here and sit with us almost on a daily basis, not saying a word before getting up and leaving. We were at first scared that perhaps he was going to destroy us out of sheer rage for your running away from here, but he only remained silent. Its odd, but perhaps as addles as our minds might be without our souls, we were all thinking that you have been causing him to think more about you then what he is supposed to be doing in the name of the white witch."

"So what is your main point?" Aeriel replied while going in one of the corners where she kept the baskets of woven saris within. Opening one of them, she reached inside and withdrew a long, shimmering transparent gold and silver sari that was neatly folded. Gathering this up, she closed the basket and put it back in its proper place in the small corner.

"Our point is that whatever he is thinking about you, you need to be wary. We cannot fully protect you in our current conditions, but if you need our assistance in defeating him somehow, just say the word and we will." They replied. Gratefulness washed over Aeriel. Even though their souls had been taken away, along with their blood and hearts, they at least still retained some of their former mundane feelings within the back of their minds. Glancing out of the single window of the dungeon, Aeriel saw that the night was starting to settle upon the land. "I must go and prepare myself for my wedding night. I am going to leave the door open so you can freely move about if you wish to follow me to his private chambers." She told them, leaving the door slightly ajar for them. "Have faith in me, mistresses. I willing to lay my own life to free all of you from your torments of being wraiths."

Not waiting for a reply, she hurried off to the secret caves where she found Talb patiently waiting for her. He was shocked upon hearing the news that she was to be Irrylath's final bride, but he was quick in reassuring her that if she kept to the original plan, they would be successful in defeating him with the secret brew alone. "You won't need a physical weapon against him for he is immune to most of light's magic spells, except for the Avarclon's starhoof. Go prepare yourself as you see fit and come back in a few hours. I'll have it ready by then." The little mage swiftly began to pull out various glass tubes and vials while Aeriel gathered basic toiletries for her bath and groom.

She headed to the lake that was hidden amide the garden. The water was cold which help remind her of whom she was going to be binding herself within a few hours from now. She washed the dirt and grime from her long journey from her body with a rose scented soap sliver before working on her long tresses with a wide tooth comb. She ducked herself into the lake, submerging herself for several seconds before reemerging with a gasp for air, shivering under the cool night's night wind while grabbing her towel to dry herself off. The gold/silver sari laid upon the grass along with a couple of silver bangles that Talb had found amide his personal things that could help enhance her natural beauty. Aerial pulled on a light chemise before wrapping the sari around her slender body.

The night was all still. Not a single sound outside that screeching howls of the gargoyles, sang into the night. It was as if it knew that tonight was the night that decided the fate of all who was involved and dared not breath.

Upon returning, she found Talb carefully handling a gold goblet that was filled with a golden honey colored substance within. He smiled upon seeing her. "You look very beautiful, Aeriel." he said while handing her the cup and taking up a lite lantern from a nearby shelf. "I shall personally lead to his chambers. He will not know that I am nearby in case anything goes wrong."

"Lets pray that nothing does, Talb." She murmured bitterly while she followed him out of the cave. "I don't think I can find the strength to do through with this if it wasn't for my desire to see my former mistress's soul released from captivity from the darkangel's necklace."

Talb didn't say anything for a long moment before abruptly stopping when they stepped just under a stone archway of a long, winding corridor. "I have question that's been pressing upon my mind since you ran away, Aeriel." He asked, looking up directly into her green eyes with his brown orbs. "Do you or have you fallen in love with Irrylath?"

"Of course not!What kind a stupid question is that, Talb?" She retorted too fast. "We are talking about someone who has kidnapped over 13 young women, robbed them of their souls, hearts and blood with the evil intent of being like that of his brothers." His gaze narrowed but his face remained neutral. He motioned for her to continue to follow him. Aeriel's heart was once more hammering wildly like a caged bird. Why would she fall in love with her own captor when its only his true intent of killing her in the end?

"I ask because I often had found him looking towards the dessert's horizon every night. When I asked you if perhaps you have developed an emotional attachment to him, it was because I had heard the slightly tremer of hesitant in your voice when I spoke his eventual death by the starhoove's nectar's that you hold within your hands." He spoke again amid the cover of darkness.

The two eventually stopped before two tall wooden doors down a long corridor. There was no decorations on the wood, save for a single crown that stood above a single star in the center of each door. Talb gave her a comforting squeeze on the arm. "Have faith, little one. You can do this."

Aeriel took three deep breaths to help calm her overwhelming urge of turning and running away. She placed a hand upon one of the doors and pushed it slightly. The door moved without any protest at her touch. She glanced down at the little mage. "Thank you Talb for everything. I am glad to have you for a friend, not just as a companion during these long months." She smiled softly at him. He blushed, telling her to not worry about it before withdrawing into the safe distance of the entrance of where they had come from.

She pushed the door fully open before stepping into a large room that looked almost like that of a child's nursery/bedchambers. A single large four poster bed stood in the center of the room with a small trunk at the base of it. There was no painted portraits hanging upon the blue colored walls. A low burning fireplace stood at one side of the bedroom while the soft rays of the moon shined through the many open windows.

Aeriel carefully placed the goblet down on a nearby bedside table to explore the room more fully on her own. For once with the full irony of her current situation, she almost felt childishly safe within this room. Being born into slavery, she didn't really have anything to call her own, be it clothes, a room, or personal items. Slaves of her own status didn't have anything of their own unless it was produced by their masters and mistresses own will. She carefully stood on of the side window rests to look out into the night. The sky was very clear with the single full moon bathing her body with its silver rays.

"Please grant me the grace of being strong for what is soon going to come upon me, gods." She prayed silently to herself. The soft rustle of feathers outside the door alerted her that her soon-to-be husband was present. She only had enough to turn around to face the door before it swung open and he walked in gracefully into the room, despite his scarred face and broken left wing. He took once single glance upon seeing her dressed so beautifully in gold and sliver cloth. Irrylath paused for a moment, slamming the door shut behind him with a single hand. She tried not to wince upon the harsh impact of the sound. Silence stood between them.

How was she going to go about this painful task? It hurt her so deeply that she had to destroy this beautiful, perfect angle of darkness as revenge for him taking her mistress' soul against her will. Was Talb and the wraiths right in asking her if perhaps a small part of her heart had fallen in love with this creature who was half bound to the darkness and spells of the white witch.

Irrylath seemed to had been robbed of words for he kept staring at her with slightly wide eyes before his surprise quickly hid behind a cold mask of indifference. "You are indeed more beautiful then all the other women I had been seeing from afar." He spoke very softly while slowly advancing towards her with a dark smirk. Aeriel instinctively began to backed away once he was but a foot away from her, but the feel of the wall upon her back prevented her from going anywhere. The darkangel stared intently at her before sliding a finger underneath her chin and lifting her face upwards so he can peer into those deep green orbs. "There is something I want to give to you."

Now it was her turn to be shocked as he reached into his toga and lifted a necklace that held a deep emerald pedant that was shaped like that of a pear with a single small pearl that was skillfully inserted within it. She gasped at the sheer beauty of the jewel under the light of the moon's rays as it twinkled with a burning green fire within. Before she could say something about it, he swiftly placed it around her slender neck, his cold fingers caressing her skin as he did so that sent shivers down her spine.

"Why are you doing this to me if you intend to kill me?" She whispered softly as his hands slowly pulled her sari from her shoulders. "Am I not the one who is going to complete your desire of being able to rule the world along side your mother and six brothers?"

Something akin to defiance awoke within his silver orbs as they slide back up to her face. "I may be bound to the white witch, but as long as I remain here amide this castle, I still have my own mind and power over myself." He said scathingly. He gestured towards the necklace that now laid nestled amide her breasts. "I found that while you were gone in one of the rooms that I had not explored on my own. The emerald reminded me too painfully of your eyes and how soothing your presence had seemed to have grown upon me."

The young woman couldn't believe what her own mortal ears were hearing from this powerful vampyer who was admitting that he had missed her, or at least her presence within his domain. Irrylath gentle pulled her sari further down as she remain motionless in her spot. The shimmering clothe fell about her feet in a pool of fabric, leaving her only clothes barely by her revealing chemise. Her nipples were already hard from the cold air and anticipation of what was coming.

She should had been feeling nothing but sheer fear while knowing that she could be very much breathing her last breaths in this mortal world. But nothing of such emotions was coming to her while she allowed him to remove the last barrier that protected her dignity. The chemise fell to join the sari, leaving her completely naked before her husband's heated gaze as he gently lifted her into his arms bridal style, heading towards the bed. He saw the goblet sitting upon the table but didn't bother to ask her what it held as he silently lowered her onto the satin sheets and soft feathered pillows. Aeriel sat up on her hands while he remained outside the bed. "What now?" She dared to ask him.

Irrylath gestured towards the necklace. "That is my gift to you as a symbol of our union and you as my wife."

Her mind quickly jumped to the drink upon hearing those words. Could she pull this actually pull this off without giving away her true intentions to him? The heavy weight of the jewel reminded her of whom she was dealing with. He could just be manipulating her with fake kind words and tokens of love when in reality he was only going to still kill her in the end before she could make her move.

"I got nothing for you, husband." Aeriel replied as normal as possible. "But this drink that I made for you can be my gift to you if you drink it." She reached over and carefully took a hold the goblet, noting the wary look in his eyes as he followed her every moment. "If you want, I can drink it myself to show you that it means no harm to either one of us." She added to sooth any possible suspicion that he might have of it. She raised the goblet and took several deep sips. The nectar was sweet and smooth upon her pallet as it glided down her throat like silk. She paused to hand it out towards him. "Your turn, husband."

Irrylath took it from her. "Strange custom for you mortals but fitting." He said, giving her a side glance. "But would it hurt if perhaps I drink it later after I have my personal fill of you?"

A look of horror filled her face for a moment upon which he laughed harshly. "Have no fear, wife." He continued to laugh. "I have no intentions of killing you at all and taking your soul. No," His voice lowered almost to a silky caress. "I want to actually have a mate for myself. Someone that could take away my loneliness and emptiness within my un-beating heart. I never thought I'd find it with you, a slave girl whom I took from that village with the only intent that you were to serve my other wives until I found my final bride." He continued softly. Aeriel felt her chest become tight with so many mixed emotions upon hearing his words. He placed the goblet back on the table before turning back to her. "I don't know what I'm feeling within myself." He took a hold of her hand and placed it over his chest where his heart should be beating rhythmically beneath her warm touch. "Tell me what the word is, Aeriel. I want to know what this strange feeling I get every time I awaited for your return or how much bigger it felt when I saw you standing there at the entrance tonight."

"Perhaps something akin to love, husband." She replied finally, closing her eyes. "I don't know but the wives told me that you had been seeing them on a daily basis once you knew I wasn't going to be coming back for a long time. They told me that you didn't speak to them, but just stare at the empty loom of where you had me work days upon. Perhaps you were just merely amused to see that I had come back upon my own will, knowing full well that I would be coming back to a death sentence by your hands alone."

The darkangel stared for a long time. "Love." He murmured softly more to himself then to her. "How is that possible if I am vampyer that knows no human emotion?"

"But you said yourself that you are only half vampyer and mortal, not fully bound to the white witch. If you were, husband, I'm sure you would have not hesitated to kill me earlier today once I stepped foot in your castle." Aeriel tried to reason with him. "Why do you not wish to kill me and be who you wish or desire to be?"

"Its because all of your stories had been giving me strange dreams that are connected with these feelings that I get whenever I am around you!" He suddenly snapped at her, eyes flashing with something that she hadn't seen before around him. "You are only a slave and yet tonight I have made you my chosen wife with the intent that I'm not going to take away your soul, but make you my life mate. You don't no how powerful your words and presence alone is upon me, despite you being only a mere mortal woman." Irrylath gestured towards her naked form. "Your body has vastly changed so much over these months that you have stayed here and in the desert. Its blossomed from that of a girl into that of a fully grown woman that I see before my very eyes. I see something different in those eyes of yours. Like you found something out there in the desert sands and brought it back with you."

 _How so not far from the truth he actually is._ She thought to herself. She began to shiver as a gust of cold wind flew in from the open windows. Her now husband swiftly walked over and shut them, casting the chamber into darkness, save for the low burning fireplace that cast a small light into the dim room. Aeriel didn't know what to do now that she heard the truth from his very lips. It only proved further to her that perhaps there was indeed some good still lingering within his soul, but now that she stared at the cup that held his pending death, she didn't know how to feel right now.

Praying for courage, Aeriel slide out of the bed and moved towards where he stood amide the shadows. Blindly seeking out his hands with hers, she moved herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his toned waist while leaning her cheek against his chest. She didn't move as they remained standing still within each others arms. The darkangel didn't pull away from her as she thought he would do. He instead held her tighter against his body while one hand caressed her hair and bare back with his fingertips. "I do love you but I'm afraid what will happen once my mother gets word of what I did." He said against her hair. "She will surely kill you first before my eyes before taking out her wrath upon me."

"Shh," Aeriel placed a finger over his pale lips. "Let us not think about that when its our wedding night, husband. I want you to show me what its like to be a real woman in your arms this night." He followed her back to the bed where she laid herself upon it, drawing him over her until he had to rest both arms on either side of her head as he towered over her, his wings creating something like a protective barrier from preying outsider's eyes.

He stared deeply into her eyes. "Are you sure you want me to do this to you, Aeriel?" He said softly, unsure of himself. "I don't want to hurt you accidentally."

"You won't, husband." She encouraged him while wrapping her arms around his neck. "Make me yours with my willing union unto you."

Not needing anymore encouragement, he lowered his head, capturing her lips with his in a deep kiss that almost took her breath away as how fierce, yet gentle it was as he pressed his body against hers. A low moan escaped her lips as he trailed one of his hand down her arm, down and over her breast, pinching the nipple until it was perked before taking it into his mouth, firmly suckling until she was gasping in pure pleasure. Molten hot lava seemed to grow within her womb and travel throughout her body, leaving her breathless and hot amide its wake as her husband took his time in pleasuring her body with his mouth and hands.

Irrylath paused for a moment to stand up and remove his toga, revealing just how well shaped and muscled he was beneath it. Her eyes widened upon seeing the long, thick rod that stood out between his legs. Laughing softly at the expression on her innocent face, he gently pushed her backwards, placing a pillow beneath her head to make her feel more comfortable while he knelt between her legs. "Don't be shy, my lovely bride. Your body is so beautiful that I wish I could cry just from staring at you alone." He chuckled while gently kneading her arms and legs between his skilled hands. "Just relax and let me take care of your needs before I take mine."

The next few minutes, she closed her eyes while her muscled became relaxed under her husband's fingers. "Mmmm, that feels good right here." She said while he massaged her thighs. A small hitch in her breath caught his attention while he trailed his fingers along her inner parts of her legs, just stopping near her secret opening where he laid his hand fully over it. Aeriel opened her eyes and offered a shaky smile. "I'm just nervous about when you are going to take me." She told him truthfully. "I heard it hurts."

"At first it does, but the pain will not last long." He assured her quickly. "I promise to be gentle with you, but swift once I'm past your virginity." Laying down beside her, he lifted a heavy breast in one hand to suckle it while pleasuring the other one while listening to the sweet sounds of her pleasured moans. He felt her fingers slide themselves into his long hair while she held him closer against her. Her body was soft and warm against his while he continued to play with her senses.

So young, yet ripe and innocent for his own taking. He looked up to find her head tossed back, her mouth slightly ajar as swift breaths left her throat amid her pleasure. Encouraged, he withdrew a little to take a hold of her hand, guiding it towards his harden cock. At first, she drew her hand away upon feeling the strangeness of his member but then curiosity got the best of her. He laid back, allowing her to fully explore his body and the scars on his face with her gentle fingers. He let out a hard gasp as she used both hands to move them up and down his straining member, only to let out a curse as something wet and hot moved over the head.

"Gods!" He cried out, his hands going for her head as she suckled him firmly in her sweet mouth. "You may be a virgin but you are a born natural as this, my sweet little wife." Encouraged by her boldness, she tried to take more of him until she gagged. Pulling her mouth away, she continued to stroke him with one hand while cupping one breast with the other while he stared lustfully up at her. "I cannot wait much longer, Aeriel." Irrylath growled, suddenly sitting up and tossing her onto her back. He buried his face between her legs, lapping up the sweet, creamy juices that poured from her secret place onto his tongue. Never had anyone taste as sweet and fresh as his wife while she groaned heavily, panting as shock wave after shock wave racked her body from head to toe with powerful orgasms.

"Irrylath...I need you now...I want you deep within me..."

Not hesitating for a single moment to give her a way out, he stood up on his knees, pulling her legs apart wide until he could fully kneel between them. She was panting heavily, her eyelids half dropped as she watched him slowly press his thick length into her untried body. He went slow, going forward inch by inch while watching her face for any discomfort while he pressed himself further in. After taking almost half of him, he finally felt the barrier he was looking for. "Relax more, my love." He whispered in her ear while planting small nips along her neck. "This will hurt only briefly like I promised." Aeriel gave him a shaky nod before he grabbed her hips between both hands and thrusted his hips forward, breaking past the proof of her virginity. She cried out sharply, tears instantly brimming as she gasped at the full sensation pain/pleasure of his cock being buried fully to the hilt within her. Her hips buckled slightly upwards as he slowly withdrew and reburied himself back inside her. She was so lusciously tight and hot around him while taking his time to allow her body to become accustomed to his size and girth. Once he was sure she had stopped feeling the pain, he began to grid a little more firmly, earning hard small gasps from his wife as she moved her hips with his steady rhythm that he was building.

"That's it, Aeriel." The darkangel crooned in her ear. "Just let yourself go and let the pleasure take over your mind and body. I got you, love. Just let it take you with me." He shifted his position so he could thrust at a slightly different angle. He growled with deep satisfaction upon hearing her crying out his name, her nails piercing his flawless skin upon his back as she raked them down it, leaving long bleeding marks in their wake. Ignoring the pain, he pulled her hair with on hand, taking care that it was enough that she would feel pleasure, not pain while he buried his face against her bare neck. He thrusted deeper, faster and harder until the room was filled with the slapping of flesh and their pleasured moans. Pulling her into his lap, he held her hips down while encouraging her to ride him as she wished.

"This is almost too much for me to take in, husband." Aeriel panted between breaths while she used her hands to steady herself on his broad shoulders while slowly impaling herself upon his cock. "I feel like a bowstring pulled too tight."

"I got you." Irrylath told her while pushing some damp hair from her eyes. He kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue in her mouth while pushing her onto her back. Her body was slick with sweat and his scent as he was with hers. His wife's face was scrunched with her obvious pleasure while he dominated her before suddenly her back bowed underneath him, her gasping becoming more sharp as her body tighten around his cock with a vice grip that had him howling with his pleasure as he madly thrusted at almost inhuman speeds before slamming one last time upon feeling her go over the edge of her pleasure and releasing several large, hot spurts of his seed deep within her womb.

Wanting to mark her more permanently, he gently grazed her neck with his teeth, biting down and taking in a little of her blood before licking the wound with his tongue to seal it with his own saliva so it could heal cleanly. Aeriel was too lost in her orgasm to take notice of what he did as her body accepted every spurt of his seed. After what seemed like forever, he finally collapsed upon her, almost crushing her with his sheer weight before stopping himself be placing his hands on either side of her head. No one said a word while they lay there upon the sweat covered satin sheets, their bodies shiny amid the small flames from the fireplace from the heavy lovemaking they had just done.

Irrylath nuzzled her neck before gently kissing her upon the lips. "How do you feel, my sweet wife?" He whispered while slowly withdrawing himself her body. He growled upon seeing how much of their combined juices spilled from her body onto the sheets. "Don't bother to answer that." He quickly told as he spied the blood that was mixed with his cum upon them. He got off, covering her with a clean one that came from the chest at the foot of the bed.

Aeriel couldn't feel very much of her body as it was too relaxed for her to even move a hand an inch off the bed. "I didn't dream that lovemaking could be that powerful and beautiful at the same time." She replied sleepily with a small yawn. Irrylath came back with a pitcher of water and a clean cloth which he used to carefully clean her lower half with. Once he was satisfied, he pulled the soiled sheets from beneath her and thew a thick coverlet over her. His wings were half folded which cast a large shadow over her, fully blocking out the light of the fireplace behind him as he crawled back in beside her and drawing her into his strong arms and pulling the coverlet over them both.

"Irrylath?" She yawned, her eyes already starting to close at their own will.

"Yes?"

"Don't drink from that cup, I don't wish to lose you."

He glanced sharply down at her but she was already passed out from all the heavy lovemaking he had done to her body. What had she done to it that she would be willing to drink from it but not want him to? He turned his gaze at the half empty goblet on the bedside table. "You poisoned it." He realized with a pang of anger that refused to somehow blow up like he would usually do. The vampyer should take this opportunity to kill his now fully bonded wife with his bare hands while she slept, but somehow he couldn't possibly do it at all as he returned his gaze upon her peaceful sleeping face. Reaching up a hand, he removed the 14 vial necklace from around his neck and placed it upon the table next to the goblet before laying his head down on the pillow behind him, his arms instinctively tighten protectively around her body as he allowed sleep to take a hold of him that for once wasn't filled with the white witch's whispers, but only that of his wife's beautiful face and voice.

Meanwhile outside the doors, Talb and the other 13 wraith wives gave a breath of relief before silently withdrawing for the time being until the new dawn. So Aeriel was right in knowing that there was good hidden deep down that cold heart of her husband. It just took a lot of time, knowledge, reminiscing and trust to build between the two to finally realize what each was missing from each other. One particular wraith dressed in all blues silk, paused for a moment on the way back to the dungeons to gazed silently back towards the closed chamber doors that held the young woman and her mate. "You were always born with a fiery compassion of kindness for others, even if they hurt you in the end, and deep courage, Aeriel. I am always going to watch over you from afar even if the heavens separate us." Turning back, she slowly followed her other companions with a small smile upon her gaunt lips.

This night was filled with heavy fates, however it all played out in the end that no one was killed in the end and the new dawn was going to bring forth hope for everyone involved.

 _~In the end, Irrylath freed his 13 wives's souls so that they could travel to the heavens in peace but not before Talb had him drink a new mixture of of the starhoove that changed him back to that of a mortal man. To complete the process of freeing him fully from the white witch's power, the little mage cut open the former darkangel's chest and removing all the lead that had kept his mortal heart un-beating before putting it back in and healing him. Aereil was able to say good by to her former mistress with many tears of joy and bitter sweetness as she watched her sister/friend join the others in the sky as celestial beings.~_

The coming days and months brought many uneasy rest for the bonded couple as they planned to try and find his seven missing brothers as well as the pending news that Irrylath's former mother had gotten word that he was no longer under her power or dream spells. But none of this deterred Irrylath of showing how much he truly loved his wife as she grew big with his child within her womb barely three months after their fated wedding night. With Talb's help and some of the local villagers over the coming months, they made the castle slowly re-habitable but it wasn't yet ready for a ruler to take his rightful place upon the throne until the missing brothers were found. Plus, he didn't wish to travel until his child was old enough to handle it. So he and his wife lived in the castle and often visited Talb everyday in his cave to share meals and plans for the coming future.

One night, two months after giving birth to a healthy baby boy who had his father's silver eyes and her fiery hair, he found Aeriel sitting out by the little lake while nursing their son at her breast under the twinkling stars of her former mistress' above. "I knew I would find you here, my love." Irrylath half joked while placing his heavy cloak around her and their sleeping child. "You don't know how much pride you bring to me whenever I find myself troubled by my past or comfort you bring every morning and night that I gaze upon your face upon waking and sleeping." Taking a seat beside her, he drew her into his arms while cradling her and his son close to him. "I love you, Aeriel."

The young woman stared up into her love's silver eyes with a soft smile before placing a deep kiss upon his lips. "I always loved you from the very moment you took me from my past life as a slave and into your keeping." She replied with a small laugh. "I just didn't know it at that time until you admitted to me how you truly felt on our wedding night."

"What would have happened if I had not listened to you and drank that draft you had made for me with the intentions of ending my life?" He wondered out loud. "I almost did, but seeing your peaceful face prevent me from doing so even though I had realized that you had poisoned it."

His wife didn't a word for a long while. Sighing, she leaned her cheek upon his shoulder, burying her face against the warm pulse of his neck while he absently stroked the branding half crescent bite mark upon hers that told others that she was his by full right. "I would have killed myself but not before I had managed to release your wives's souls from the vials that you kept around your neck, Irrylath." She finally answered truthfully. "I didn't have anyone to return back home to and I would have only been resold as a slave or beaten to death for my supposed running away by the local villagers. Besides, I don't think I could live without you in my life, husband." She looked up directly into his eyes. "I came willingly into your arms that first night when I awaited for your return to my village, when I told you all the stories of your families' past history, when I came back from the desert with the star hoove in hand, and one last time when I accepted you as my husband, not only name alone, but with my body and soul fully surrendered to you after you told me that you couldn't bring yourself to kill me for you had grown to appreciate my company and learned to truly love me towards the end."

"Just hearing those words alone makes me remember why I decided to finally chose you to be my mate and bride." He said, deeply kissing her. "Its getting dark and I'm sure that Talb is willing to watch our son until the morning while I show you just how much I treasure your heart and love for me, my sweet loving, beautiful wife." Helping her to her feet, he guided her back to the royal nursery where Talb was awaiting them. He silently took the sleeping prince into his arms and giving the blushing couple a knowing wink before shooing them out with a gruff word of not breaking anything of value. They laughed between themselves while they made their way to their own chamber where he soon put to use a new sex position that had her moaning loudly while pressed over a lounge chair from behind with him firmly thrusting deeply as the night's moon continued to shine brightly with its endless vigil upon the newly repaired castle and its vast blossoming rose gardens.


End file.
